


Hot Chocolate

by SmokySky



Series: Tommy Shelby's 12 Days Of Christmas [2]
Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: Advent Calendar, Advent Calendar Drabble, Alternate Universe - Children, Gen, Hot Chocolate, Hugs, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:28:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21637378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmokySky/pseuds/SmokySky
Summary: 12 Days of Christmas Advent Calendar fic based on the prompt: Hot Chocolate/Hot Cocoa.In which Mabel tries to make Tommy feel a little better about his home life, even if it's just for as long as it takes to drink some hot chocolate.
Relationships: Tommy Shelby & Original Female Character(s)
Series: Tommy Shelby's 12 Days Of Christmas [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1559590
Comments: 1
Kudos: 24





	Hot Chocolate

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, two drabbles in two days (just about!) This is pretty impressive for me - but it probably won't last. In case this anyone isn't reading this series in order, I'm attempting to write 12 short fics for the 12 days of Christmas, with 12 Christmas-y themes. All the stories will be focused on the same characters, and set roughly in chronological order, but there's real overarching plot-line here, they're just little drabbles written for fun.
> 
> Carrying on the story of Tommy and Mabel, Tommy shows up at Mabel's house trying to avoid his father, and Mabel just wants him to feel a little bit better, even if it's only for as long as it takes to drink a mug of hot chocolate...

Mabel was surprised when Tommy knocked on her door at eight o’clock in the evening.

His dad was back again, and he wasn’t very nice to Tommy. Actually, Tommy’s dad wasn’t very nice to any of his children, but he was especially not very nice to Tommy. He was so not nice that Mabel’s dad hadn’t stopped Tommy coming round when his dad was at home, and Mabel’s dad didn’t like Tommy much. So even though it was eight o’clock, and Mabel had school tomorrow, she still let Tommy into the house. It was cold enough outside that it was snowing, so Mabel wasn’t going to make Tommy explain himself on the doorstep.

“Thanks, Mabel.” Tommy muttered, shrugging out of his coat and hanging it on the hook that held Mabel’s own coat: “Dad spent all day at the pub again.”

That was all Tommy needed to say; Mabel understood entirely: “That’s okay. Do you want some toast? I was just about to have some.”

“Please.”

The pair of them traipsed through to the kitchen, where Mabel’s mum was stirring a pot over the stove.

She looked up when she heard more than one set of footsteps, but smiled when she saw Tommy following Mabel into the kitchen. Tommy was, as usual, a bit embarrassed to be in Mabel’s house when most people were in their own homes, but Mabel’s mum never minded Tommy being over here, no matter what time it was. Tommy was Mabel’s best friend, even more so than Ada, even though Ada was a girl like Mabel and Tommy was a boy. But even though Tommy was a boy, he listened to her talk about girly things like whatever book she was reading or her mum teaching her to knit, he joked with her like he did his brothers and sister, and he didn’t try and pull her hair or push her in the mud...in fact, he’d punched the last boy that had tried to push Mabel in a puddle of muddy water, and now nearly all the boys at school left Mabel alone. He was her best friend, and he looked after her.

And Mabel was his best friend. So she was determined to look after him like he looked after her

She’d mentioned that to her parents when her dad had complained about Tommy showing up at the house at all hours. Now her dad didn’t complain anymore, and her mum never brought up the time when Tommy came round at odd hours, or even when Tommy spent the night on the sofa or in Mabel’s brother’s room. Instead she acted like it was completely normal, and greeted Tommy with a smile.

“Hello Tommy, it’s a bit cold out there today, isn’t it? Would you like some hot chocolate with your toast?”

“Yes please, Mrs Oakes.”

“It’ll be just a second, dear, why don’t you and Mabel go and sit in the living room? I’ll bring everything through in a second.”

Mabel grabbed Tommy’s hand before he offered to help: “Thanks, mum. Can I use the blankets from the chest?”

“Of course, darling.”

Tommy looked ready to argue, but Mabel knew by now the easiest way to get him not to argue with her was to ask him for help. Tommy always helped her - he said it was his job as a man - whether she needed it or not. So he didn’t question it when she told him she needed help lifting the heavy lid of the pretty chest in the living room Mabel’s mum kept blankets and cushions in. He even helped her arranged them so that he could have a little fort between the sofa and armchairs: sitting on the thick carpet on the floor, with one blanket making a roof over their heads, and another for them to sit under once her mum brought in their hot chocolate and toast. Because even though Mabel told Tommy she wanted a fort because her brothers had refused to make one with her earlier, it was really because she knew that Tommy was calmer when he was hidden away from adults. And she wanted him to feel calmer.

He wouldn’t accept Mabel trying to make him feel better about his dad if she was obvious about it - but that was okay, because Mabel could be sneaky when she wanted to be. And she was willing to use all her sneakiness if it meant that she could get Tommy to smile before he left their new fort.

Pulling Tommy into the fort after her, Mabel settled herself with her back against the sofa and pulled a blanket around herself while Tommy made himself comfortable next to her.

They didn’t speak for a while - Mabel was happy leaning against Tommy’s shoulder as he stared into the fire burning in the fireplace - but eventually her mum came in with a plate of buttered toast and two mugs of hot chocolate, and Mabel had to speak to thank her. It felt odd, to break the silence that had settled between the two of them, but once she had, Mabel decided it might as well stay broken.

“What did he say this time?”

Tommy didn’t look at her: “I didn’t see him - left before he came home from the pub.”

Mabel handed him a slice of toast: “I know he said something; you’re only ever this still when your dad’s been a prick.” 

“He said he was going to take my eyes out with a spoon.” Tommy whispered: “Says that they’re too much like my mum’s mum’s, and he hated my Grandma, so he wants to take them out.”

Mabel didn’t know what to say.

In the five years she’d known Tommy, she’d never heard of his dad saying anything like that. And Tommy shouldn’t have to have heard it now! They were only eleven, no eleven year old should have to hear that from their parents! Mabel’s dad might be grumpy sometimes, but he’d never made her feel scared like she was scared for Tommy after hearing what he dad had threatened him with.

And...there was nothing she could do.

She might have planned to be sneaky and trick him into staying the night again to avoid his dad’s drunkenness, but even if did Tommy stayed the night, that wasn’t going to stop his dad from threatening him because of his eyes tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that. There was nothing she could even think of to stop that - she didn’t even know if there was anything she could say to make him feel better even for tonight…

All she could do was hug him and not let go, even when he sat stiff as a board in her arms. She hugged him and hugged him until she felt tears warm and damp against her shoulder, and he started hugging her back. Mabel let Tommy cling to her as he silently cried, not saying a word, not let her hold on him waver.

Even though she didn’t know how, Mabel was going to fix this. She  _ would  _ protect Tommy, even if it meant doing something big. She’d figure something out...tomorrow.

Tonight she was just going to make sure he didn’t feel like crying anymore.

“Please don’t tell anyone I cried. If dad hears, it’ll make him worse...” Tommy whispered against her shoulder.

Mabel nodded: “I won’t say a word, promise. But it’s not bad to cry, if you need to. My dad says it’s good for you.”

“Only if you’re a girl.” Tommy shook his head: “Boys don’t cry, not in front of other people.”

“Well, you can cry in front of me. I won’t say anything to anyone, ever.” Mabel declared: “Do you feel any better?”

Tommy nodded: “A little bit, yeah.”

Mabel smiled, before handing him a mug of hot chocolate from where had her mum had left them in front of the fire to keep warm: “Here, this will help too.”

Tommy managed a weak smile back at her, before taking a sip of the hot chocolate and hunching back into his blanket. Mabel wriggled her way under the blanket with him, holding her own mug, and settled against his side. Tommy leant into her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and resting his cheek against the top of her head - and just sat there, quietly looking into the fire while slowly sipping his drink. Mabel knew he was probably thinking about how he was going to get back into his house without his dad noticing, but she hadn’t quite given up on her sneakiness yet.

Mabel wasn’t letting Tommy go home to his drunk father, not after what he’d be threatened with earlier. It wasn’t safe! He was staying here - either in the living room, or she’d rope her brothers into getting him to stay so he could stay in their room. He just didn’t know it yet.

She’d let him finish his drink before she started convincing him to stay; it was probably the most comforting thing she could give him right now. And as for dealing with his dad…

Arthur Shelby Senior had never met Mabel. But when he did, she was going to make him regret it...


End file.
